Leatherface

Director(s) - Alexandre Bustillo (Among the Living, ABCs of Death 2) and Julien Maury (Livid, Inside)
Starring - Stephen Dorff (The Gate, Blade), Lili Taylor (The Conjuring, Gotham), and Sam Strike (Stitches, Mindhunter)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "The origin story of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When it comes to classic horror I tend to be an odd duck.  When it comes to the Hellraiser series most fans love the first film and then say they lose quality and the series progresses.  I'm the opposite.  The first one bores me while the second and third are my favorite in the series.  When I tell horror fans this I often have to defend myself.  People have a hard time understanding that people like things differently.  Different strokes for different folks.  With that being said, I often ignore conversations around Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  When it comes to the series I draw in a lot of hate.  I don't really care for the first film.  I can watch it but I can honestly say it ranks low in the series for me.  The sequel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre II, is a fucking masterpiece.  I can never tire of the film.  I follow that up with Leatherface: TCM III, TCM: The Next Generation, followed by the remake, prequel, and sequel.  When people ask me how I can like those more than the original I honestly don't know where to begin.  The first film just bores me.  When I heard that the original film was getting a prequel I have to say I was interested and concerned at the same time.  Would it be bland like the first film or offer up some depth that the first film could not?

     The film follows the Sawyer clan who kills anyone that ventures too close to their home.  They kill a young woman which just happens to be the sheriff's daughter.  He investigates the murder and uses the crime to have the young Jed Sawyer taken away from his mother and placed in a mental hospital where his name is changed.  After several years an opportunity arises and he is able to escape with three other patients.  When the sheriff that put him away finds out they escaped he goes on a state wide manhunt to bring them down even if it means killing them.  As they work their way through Texas the sheriff gets even closer to them.  They kill Jed's friend and shots Jed in the jaw before their car is wrecked.  The sheriff then takes him to the same barn his daughter was killed to lure his family in but loses the high ground when they sneak up on him.  The sheriff's malice inadvertently creates a monster than cannot be controlled and he will be his first victim under the new moniker.

     People love the first TCM film and I can see why.  The film is bleak, haunting, and the visuals are damn near perfect.  Sure, it was brutal given the time period but the story is a little on the slow side for me.  I know my views on the series is going to cause a stir and I fully expect that but I refuse to lie about it.  As for Leatherface...I loved it but not as a TCM film.  If you look at Leatherface as just another movie you will really enjoy it but once you toss it into the TCM canon you will be disappointed.  The acting in this one is inconsistent among the cast.  I really enjoyed the intensity that Stephen Dorff and Lili Taylor brought to the film.  Dorff is off the rails and unhinged which is something I can't recall seeing from him before.  The closest thing I can compare him to is his Deacon Frost character from Blade but even then the two are so far apart it wouldn't be a proper comparison.  Sadly, it's hard to really get into the rest of the cast.  The rest are very underwritten and underperformed especially the patients that escaped from the mental hospital.  You would assume these characters would have spectacular back stories and enough personality to drive the film but they don't.  In fact, I was confused as to who was who until the film had progressed to a certain point.  I did like what they did with Leatherface and how he was a troubled young man that had morals but that changed when those he tried to protect continuously put him in harms way as they ran from the police.  This was a cool angle but adding a side of humanity to Leatherface almost takes away from the monstrosity that we know and love.  The story for this one worked as a movie but did not fit that well in the TCM universe.  If the characters had different names and not associated with TCM it would have been a contender for one of my favorite films of the year.  I'm being painfully honest here.  However, because it tries to add itself to the TCM canon and deliver backstory on characters we already know and love it fails to do so.  The backstories almost makes the character of Leatherface feel weak.  In the original series he is this big hulking figure with no sign of humanity in his eyes.  He relentlessly kills anyone that crosses his property line.  He's also mentally challenged and slow which was already established in the series and is addressed in several of the sequels.  In Leatherface he is fairly intelligent and over time becomes pissed at the world.  I know this is a prequel to the first film but you have to consider the second film as well because it is a worthy sequel to the first.  Finally, this one has some gore which is expected.  There is a few scenes that uses horrible CGI but for the most part we are greeted with some spectacular practical effects and fun kills.  Overall, Leatherface was not a worthy prequel to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre but it was still a great film to watch.  Personally, I feel as if the film was already written as something else (which would have been fantastic) but the title was changes so the company could keep the rights to the series.  As a film I would give it 4 out of 5 but as a TCM prequel I give it 2.5 out of 5.

Red Christmas

Director - Craig Anderson (Black Comedy, How to Not Behave)
Starring - Dee Wallace (Critters, The Howling), Geoff Morrell (Rogue, Coffin Rock), and David Collins (The Detectives of Noir Town, Howard the Sex Therapist)
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "This Christmas, the only thing under the tree is terror"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Christmas movies are still rolling in!  I love Christmas.  I love the lights, the songs, the television specials, spending time with my family, watching my kids experience all these things that make me happy.  Christmas is really a joyous time of year for my family and I.  With that being said, horror is my life so when I come across a Christmas themed horror movie I have to check it out.  There has been some classics released over the years like Black Christmas, Silent Night Deadly Night, A Christmas Cadaver, Santa's Slay, Don't Open Till Christmas, and Christmas Evil.  Sometime back Artsploitation released the Australian shot holiday slasher Red Christmas starring screen legend Dee Wallace.  This film is not to be confused with the 2014 found footage horror film Red Christmas from director Steve Rudzinski.  I reached out to Artsploitation and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way.  Thanks guys!

     The film follows a dysfunctional family living in Australia who set down to enjoy Christmas the best they can.  The matriarch of the family is trying to carry on after losing her husband while her children bicker.  One of her daughters is a teenager and does not accept her family.  She has another daughter who is pregnant and days away from delivery and her third daughter is a religious fanatic that puts her faith before all else.  On top of all that she has a son with down syndrome that helps her around the house.  As they prepare for Christmas dinner and to open presents they are greeted with a visited cloaked in a black shroud.  They invite him inside and he tells them more about himself and refers to her as his mother before revealing he was her aborted baby from years ago.  When they kick him out of their home he goes on a bloody rampage to get to his mother.

     I didn't know what to expect from Red Christmas but several horror friends mentioned how awesome it was.  Most of you know by now that my taste in movies is very different than most horror fans and I refuse to change who I am so I can like lame ass movies to fit in.  With that being said, Red Christmas fucking slays.  It was not what I was expecting and it fucking delivered.  The acting in this one is top notch.  The entire cast gave the viewer characters with varying personalities.  Some you loved and others you loved to hate which is the way a movie should be.  Some were a little flat the others were very layered which made them stand out.  It was nice seeing Dee Wallace take the lead again.  Over the years her roles have become smaller and smaller being nothing more than a glorified cameo.  After all these years she still has it and really needs to take lead in more projects.  The story for this one reminds me a lot of Chris Moore's Blessed the Children about mother choosing to terminate her pregnancy and it then stalked in her home.  The major difference is this child survived and thrived with murderous intent.  I loved the slasher flow the film has and the unexpected kill scenes that take advantage of the viewer focusing on the story and the "what will happen next" aspect of it.  The film was cleverly written and the execution is damn near perfect.  Finally, the film has several bloody on screen kills that not only use imagination but deliver some amazing practical effects.  I wouldn't call this film a splatter flick but there is lots of splatter.  Overall, Red Christmas is a must for your holiday season.  The film will join the ranks of Silent Night Deadly Night and Black Christmas.  If you have yet to check it out you are truly missing out on a new holiday classic. 

 

Blood Feast

Director - Herschell Gordon Lewis (A Taste of Blood, Color Me Blood Red)
Starring - William Kerwin (The Aliens are Coming, Whiskey Mountain), Mal Arnold (Vampire Cop, Scum of the Earth), and Connie Mason (Two Thousand Maniacs, The Godfather: Part II)
Release Date - 1963
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Nothing so appalling in the annals of horror"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     There has been many masters of horror over the years but few have left their mark in low budget horror like the Godfather of Gore Herschell Gordon Lewis.  Lewis has left a bloody smear across b-movie horror and sleazy movies alike with films like Wizard of Gore, Color Me Blood Red, Two Thousand Maniacs, Monster a Go-Go, and A Taste of Blood.  One of his more notorious films, Blood Feast, was recently released on blu by the folks over at Arrow Video.  I had seen several of Lewis' films over the years but Blood Feast was one I was never to make time for.  With the film getting an amazing blu release I figured it was time to check it out.  I want to thank MVD for being kind enough to send a copy my way to check out.
     The film follows an Egyptian caterer who is contacted to deliver a feast unlike anyone else in her suburb has seen before.  He offers to deliver an Egyptian feast which has not been seen for 5000 years.  She is excited about this but is unaware that this is actually a plow by the caterer to slaughter innocent women as part of a ceremony to his goddess in order to resurrect her.  What he doesn't know is that his final victim is dating a cop and his plan comes crashing down at the last minute.
     I've really enjoyed the few HGL films I've seen.  They are straight forward, bloody, and usually have an interesting story.  Modern gore flicks focus more on the gore and not the story.  Stories can be stupid but the point is to at least have one.  Blood Feast has one that is appealing and not something you can find somewhere else aside from a few other HGL films.  The acting in this one is inconsistent.  In some of the scenes the cast does a fantastic job.  Their characters are fun in a trashy cinema kind of way but they quickly lose their appeal as the film goes on and their personalities are no longer visible.  This takes away some of the impact the films has but not enough to take away the fun.  The story for this one is great considering its a gore flick centered around an Egyptian named after a pharaoh who worships a Babylonian god.  This was cool and how incorporate the ritual into the film.  I really enjoyed story and the pacing.  Finally, the film has some dismemberment and lots of blood.  The effects are hit and miss.  The practicality of the effects are great but the glowing red blood almost ruins the gag.  The saving grace of this bright red film is that it actually fits the lunacy of the film.  Overall, Blood Feast is a no budget joyride.  I love the story and the outlandish effects.  If you are new to the works of The Godfather of Gore I would recommend starting with this film! 

    

Moonshine Meat Market Mayhem

Director - Chas Buchanan (The Tale of the Voodoo Prostitute)
Starring - Cory Werthen (Deadfall: Ground Zero, Streets of Harvest), James D. Pruitt (Grey Agenda, Stories in the Night), and Kevin A. Green (Meathook Massacre 3: First Hunt, Bad Kids Go to Hell)
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Horror
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When it comes to indie horror flicks there is very few companies I can turn to that will deliver the laughs, absurdity, and gore.  Troma just happens to be one of the few companies out there that caters to the sick and demented.  Over the years Troma has released some of my favorite indie horror films like Fear Town U.S.A., The Slashening, The Taint, Father's Day, Fangboner, Gay for Pray, along with all their awesome productions of their own.  Recently Troma has been allowing me the opportunity to check out films before they get a physical release which is a dream come true.  I've been a Troma fan for sometime now and even have a tattoo of Toxie on my arm.  When they asked me to check out one of their newest acquisitions Moonshine Meat Market Mayhem I jumped at the opportunity.  Thanks Troma!
     The film takes place in the not so distant future where the water is no longer drinkable and doing so would result in immediate death.  Those that are punished to still be alive are riddled with cancer and rely on chemotherapy and moonshine to live.  Those that can not find either soon perish and brought back as one of the undead known as cancer dancers.  Surviving is brutal but so is death.
     When I review a Troma release I always consider the film's budget and the experience of the crew.  Troma has released several films that just happened to be the first project for many directors South Park's Trey Parker's first feature film Cannibal: The Musical.  A lot of these films are fun but rough around the edges.  Moonshine Meat Markey Mayhem is one of those films that has a pretty solid story but struggles to rolling amidst some choppy editing that makes the film rough to watch.  The acting in this one is Troma-rific.  The cast little to no experience in front of the camera but still does a solid job creating entertaining characters.  There was plenty room for improvement but the cast still held their own.  With that being said, there was a few scenes where it looked at is the cast was struggling to find the right direction to go with the story so director intervention would have went a long way here.  The story for this one has a lot of promise and would have been an exciting indie venture but the editing and mesh between story angles made this one a struggle to watch at times.  The future apocalyptic setting filled with cancer and the walking dead was oddly eerie and almost satirical considering our health care system.  I really enjoyed this portion of the film but the random cuts of the cannibal cult roaming the streets killing and fucking people slow the flow of the film down.  The two stories should have been left separate to make for a better viewing experience.  Finally, this film is a filthy one for you that like the darker side of horror.  The film has tons of guts and great practical effects along with a few scenes that left me scratching my dome.  Some of the kills are fucking brutal with great gory practical effects.  Most of which were really impressive.  Then we have a few scenes where the effects looked like they lost focus or money and just tossed something together.  These scenes are few and far in between but they were still there.  Overall, Moonshine Meat Market Mayhem is a bold and gruesome horror film that leaves a bloody trail in it's wake but struggles to find it's footing.  The story could really be reworked and some of the scenes cut to make the story flow a lot better.  The film is still worth checking out but could be easily forgettable.  

A Meowy Christmas

Director - Steve Rudzinski (CarousHELL, Red Christmas)
Starring - Steve Rudzinski, Aleen Isley (Captain Z & The Terror of Leviathan, Super Task Force One), and Amie Wrenn (The Survivors, Red Christmas)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Comedy/Crime
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I love Christmas.  Hell, I may love it more than Halloween...which is blasphemy for a horror fan.  I love Halloween so don't get me wrong but the holiday season is special to me even more so now that I have little ones of my own.  Their excitement for the lights, the stories, the movies, and seeing their faces light up when they open their gifts from Santa makes me thankful to be their father.  Director Steve Rudzinski is another horror fan with a passion for Christmas.  Though Steve is an accomplished horror director he has branched out to other genres over the years resulting in some seriously fun films.  Recently, Steve tackled the Christmas movie with his talking cat film A Meowy Christmas.  Steve was kind enough to reach out to me to check out this holiday comedy.  Thank Steve!
     The film follows pet Ms. Whiskers and her rodent roommate Chuck who are the pets of Officer Wally Griswold (Rudzinski).  Wally loves the holidays and when he hears that some burglars have been stealing Christmas presents he decides to act fast to catch the culprits before they ruin anyone else's Christmas.  There's a big catch.  Wally is a buffoon.  Wally is not capable of catching the thieves so it is up to Ms. Whiskers and Chuck to stop them.
     A Meowy Christmas isn't a film I would typically watch.  Granted, growing up I loved Air Bud and Cats vs Dogs but as I got older these types of films lost their appeal.  With that being said, I don't pass up a Steve Rudzinski film!  The acting in this one is fun.  Steve brings to life a very funny lead that is very quirky and enjoyable to watch.  His eagerness to help and love for Christmas is clearly modeled after himself while his empty headedness is stretching it.  He makes his character fun and parodies a lot of the good cops from 80s sitcoms at the same time.  The voice over for the animals is funny.  I really liked their high spirits but some of the scenes just didn't match what the animals were doing.  Their voices were contradictory to how the animals were acting which is understandable considering their nature is unpredictable and they were not trained.  The story for this one pays homage, or parodies depending on how you see it, a lot of classic Christmas films from Home Alone to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  The burglars, even though they are male and female, are just like Harry and Marv from the original Home Alone.  One is street smart while the other is dumb (but with a knack for home decorating).  Things go south when they pick the wrong house that is booby (hehe) trapped by the critters just like Kevin McCallister in Home Alone.  They even open all their presents as a calling card that it was them just like how they left the water running in every house they hit.  Wally Griswold is even a throwback to the Vacation series which spawned the greatest Christmas movie of all time, Christmas Vacation.  His last name is inspired by the family's surname of Griswold while Wally was derived from the theme park they try to visit in the first film Vacation which was Walley World.  The film has several Christmas themed references that was cleverly written in.  I enjoyed that aspect of the film but there was a few scenes that just fell flat.  They didn't bring much to the overall film and did very little to help push the story along.  Finally, this is not the bloody and gory Christmas themed horror flick you may be looking for.  However, if you want something whimsical with tons of cat puns you will enjoy this one.  Overall, A Meowy Christmas is a fun watch if you like the lighter side of cinema.  The film isn't my typical cup of tea but I would be lying if I didn't say I had fun.  This is one that will be clawing up your holiday watch list.  Check it out.   

Down

Director - Dick Maas (Amsterdamned, The Lift)
Starring - James Marshall (Twin Peaks, Doomsday Man), Naomi Watts (King Kong, The Ring), and Eric Thal (A Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag, The Good Guy)
Release Date - 2001
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Your next stop...is hell"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Remakes get a bad rap.  People say they lack creativity or stealing from the original.  Whatever the reason they are still generally hated.  I can see why they are hated but I also see it from a different point of view.  The original film is a stepping stone.  The story can only go so far at that time and remakes can bring certain films to a modern age.  I recently watched the Dick Maas film The Lift.  This original slice of 80s was released by Blue Underground on blu and was a hit in my home.  I absolutely loved it.  When BU released The Lift on blu they also released the 2001 remake Down which was also directed by Maas.  It's rare you see the same director handle the original and remake.  I really enjoyed The Lift and was curious how Maas would take on the same story but with 20 years of experience behind the camera.

     The film follows two elevator repair men who responds to a call that an elevator in a high rise was stuck with a group of pregnant women inside.  They the elevator and it seems to be working fine but something seems off and one of the repair men starts investigating while the other tries to keep him out of it.  He goes behind his friends back and investigates the elevator and who installed it when he crosses paths with a female journalist covering the story.  The two work together to uncover a conspiracy involving biochips and an experimental elevator.

      I liked The Lift.  It wasn't a film that was forever going to change the horror genre but it was some campy fun.  The fact that it was remade by the same director gave me the impression that he was aware of the flaws from the first film and wanted to improve it.  I wouldn't say Down was a better film but I definitely liked it.  The acting in this one is not consistent.  The cast has a lot of on screen talent and experience but the weird dubbing in some of the scenes made them lose their impact.  Aside from the dubbing I really enjoyed the cast and was surprised by some very familiar faces.  The story for this one is more of what we saw in the first film but with more serious tone.  The first film was serious but the scenery made it feel a little more campier than this one.  I liked the seriousness of this one and how it played out.  There was some scenes that seemed to roll on forever but that could be overlooked.  Finally, this one uses a great deal of practical effects with minor visual effects that stand out.  I really enjoyed the light gore we got and the practical effects but the CGI was not that great.  It was very dated and took away from the overall look of the film.  Overall, Down was a fun watch.  The film was far from perfect but still entertained.  I highly recommend checking this one out with the original film for a fun double feature.  

The Lift

Director - Dick Maas (Saint, Amsterdamned)
Starring - Huub Stapel (Flodder, Hoffman's Hunger), Willeke van Ammelrooy (The Hell of '63, Ciske the Rat), and Josine van Dalsum (Death of a Nun, Suite 215),
Release Date - 1983
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Take the stairs, take the stairs, for God's sake, take the stairs"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Blue Underground is a company that is known for releasing classic horror and exploitation films on modern formats.  Their dedication to film and knowledge on the subject can be found in each and every release.  What a lot of people don't give them credit for is that they often release films that are not that well known to fans of the genre.  Before Blue Underground released Amsterdamned on blu I had no idea who Dick Maas was.  I had seen the film Saint years ago on Netflix but that was the extent of it. I was really impressed with Amsterdamned so when Blue Underground announced that they would be releasing Maas' films The Lift and his remake Down I was excited.  I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send over review copies of both films.  Thanks guys!

     The film follows an elevator technician that is called to an apartment building where the elevator is acting strange.  A group of wealthy people was trapped in it and almost suffocated.  He can't find anything wrong with elevator but that night turns bloody when a security guard is beheaded and they find the corpse of a blind man in the shaft.  When they continue to find nothing wrong with the elevator they turn to the manufacture of the electronics and find that it is a start of the art elevator that has evolved into something much worse.
     I liked Amsterdamned.  It wasn't a movie that completely changed my life but I enjoyed it for what it was.  I liked the look and I liked the supplemental material Blue Underground packed into their release.  With that being said, I was more curious than anything to see how a serious film about a killer elevator played out.  Surprisingly, the film was very entertaining.  The acting in this one was great.  The entire cast created some very believable characters.  The characters was not over exaggerated or complicated making for a very grounded film.  The cast works very well with each other which makes this unrealistic story feel more believable.  The story for this one is a little out there.  The cast may be grounded but the story is reaching but is blissfully 80s.  The story was approached in a serious manner which was great considering how campy and cheesy it could have been.  A killer elevator flick could have been just as zany as Oversexed Rugsucker from Mars.  Instead it was a serious film that was well written and fun scenes.  Finally, the film isn't as bloody as one would expect dealing with people getting decapitated.  We get some solid practical effects and some blood but not as much as I would have liked.  Overall, The Lift was a serious character driven horror film with an unconventional monster.  I really enjoyed the narrative and the almost sci-fi story about machines going too far.  If you want something different to watch I suggest tossing this one in.